Snotbubbles wrote:M2J wrote:Arsenal wrote:
I'd say probably yes, but you're right it doesn't matter. This is a fantastic project for the city whether people like it or not.
And the money has spoken in that the team is paying for the entire project, which is a big reason why it's such a great project.
Besides, there was also BIG MONEY against this - Comcast - so spare me the lament about money.
Again I don't live in Philly and never will, but it was my understanding that it wasn't about to be built on top of Chinatown.
These arenas take up a few blocks, maybe less if they're smart parking and not creating a parking lot at all (maybe a small VIP deck that's like $200+) they can add to an area or perhaps create a booming area.
I know when I saw some of the anti arena reasoning being "it will slow down ambulances", that it was not hurting much. It was spin from Comcast and the city. Comcast wants the revenue from concerts... The city officials doesn't want to deal with political fallout of the protests, and they were okay with the status qou because they were getting the tax revenue already. But, whatever the polls say now when everything's just drawings... constituents (including state constituents) wouldn't be happy if the team actually leaves the state.... Even if it is within driving distance.... It's not a politically smart thing for the government nor a financially smart one. Their opponents will literally run on that issue.
Only reason that has been deemed politically safe to lose a team is using tax payer money. That's not the case here, and even then you lose a bunch of the population. Plus with those tax credits, and the ability to build more around it.... The NJ deal still seems like the better deal for them honestly
Anyone who has ever tried to drive in downtown Philly during the week knows, you aren't going to a game in the City and driving. It would probably take you a half hour to get to the location now, with 10-15K people trying to get to the same location, you're probably looking at an hour to get within a 5 block radius of the arena (and that might be a generous estimate) and then, once you get close, you will probably have trouble finding parking, and the parking you do find will probably be $40 easily as the people who own the lots will jack up the rates. What's going to happen is people will park somewhere outside of the downtown area and take public transportation to the location. But that presents a new level of risk for the commuter.
People are going to take public transit (subway, commuter rail, etc.) to the new downtown arena. You know, like people in pretty much every other city do.
I'd love to see the Venn diagram between people against this arena and those concerned about climate change. Two perfectly overlapping circles lol.
